Sam Thornton Season 2016-17

2018-19 (Senior):

• Had a victory against No. 11 Louisville in the one meter dive (358.95)
• Had a win in the 1-meter (393.60) and the 3-meter (398.33) against No. 18 Alabama
• Took first place in the 1-meter dive (456.15) and second in the 3-meter dive (375.68) against TCU
• Grabbed the top spot in the 1M dive (407.78) and captured the silver medal in the 3M dive (437.70) against LSU
• Took the silver medal with a lifetime best score of 421.40 in the SEC Championships
• Placed second in the one-meter springboard with a 12-dive score of 775.40 to earn an NCAA Championship berth
• Named the Danny Green Memorial Co-MVP with Benjamin Walker at the team’s annual banquet
• Second Team All-SEC (1M dive)

2017-18 (Junior):

• First-Team All-American (1-meter diving)
• Honorable Mention All-American (3-meter diving)
• 2nd-Team All-SEC (1-meter diving, 3-meter diving)
• Earned first-team All-America honors with 6th-place showing on the 1-meter springboard at the NCAA Championships (407.45)
• Earned honorable mention All-America accolades after placing 10^th on the 3-meter springboard at NCAAs (396.35)
• Qualified for NCAAs in all three events with strong showing at NCAA Zone D Diving Championships
• Placed 3^rd at Zones on the 1-meter (748.10), 7^th on the 3-meter (770.70) and 10^th on platform (651.30)
• Finished 3^rd at SEC Championships on the 1-meter (406.35), 6^th on the 3-meter (385.65) and 9^th on platform (335.25)
   

2016-17 (Sophomore):

• Earned honorable mention All-America honors in the one-meter dive with an 11th place finish at the NCAA Championships
• At the SEC Championships, Thornton placed fourth in the one-meter dive, sixth in the three-meter and ninth in the platform dive
• Posted season bests of 395.15 in the one-meter, 416.90 in the three-meter and 341.40 in the platform dive

 
2015-16 (Freshman):

• Had a stand out freshman season with honorable mention All-America honors in the one-meter dive (16th) and earned an SEC Championship in the three-meter dive
• Earned third at the SEC Championships in the one-meter dive (391.95)
• Aggies’ No. 1 entry in both the one-meter (405.00) and three-meter (415.81) dives
• No. 2 in platform (317.35)
• Had 10 first place finishes

 
High School/Club:

• 2015 graduate of Woodhouse Grove School in Bradford, England
• Had best dives of 371 in one-meter, 402 in three-meter, and 366 in ten-meter
• Swam for the City of Leeds Diving Club coached by Pung Li
• Won the bronze medal in three-meter synchronized at Junior Worlds, a bronze medal in one-meter at Junior Europeans, and a silver medal at the Birtish Championships during his time with the club

 
Personal:

• Sam Neil Thornton is the son of Martin and Alyson Thornton of Bradford, England
• Born October 16, 1996 in Bradford, England
• Telecommunication and Media major
• Chose Texas A&M “because I knew some of the divers that are currently on the team, they have great facilities, and there are records there that I want to try to beat!”

Up Close:
Favorite TV Show: Game of Thrones
Most Played Song on iPod: One more - Blaze
Favorite MovieFavorite TV Show: Game of thrones
Most Played Song on iPod: One more - Blaze
Favorite Movie: Stepbrothers
What I’m Currently Reading: Video game manuals
Bookmarked Websites: Ecampus..., Netflix, YouTube
Worst Habit: Biting my nails
Favorite City to Visit: Sydney, Australia
Favorite Athlete in Another Sport: Anthony Joshua - boxing
Talent I’d Most Like to Have: Fly
Dream Date: My girlfriend...
Pre-Competition Music: Rap
Favorite Quote: “I wanna go fast” - Ricky Bobby and “Shake and bake” - Ricky Bobby / Cal Naughton Jr.
Something about me that most people don’t know: I’m English
 
Describe in one word:
Coach Holmes: Funny
Coach Calanog: Determined
Coach Lerew: Legend